A Message from Mr. McKnight

-Head of School, Charles R. Drew Charter School

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Dear Drew Community:

As the next semester draws near and we prepare for a new beginning, I wanted to share an important update with you as we look ahead at the future direction of Drew Charter School.  This current school year is the final year of Drew Charter School’s 2015 – 2020 Strategic Plan, which was adopted by Drew’s Board of Directors in 2015 and updated earlier this year. (A copy of the plan can be viewed here and is available on Drew’s website.)   The school, under the Board of Director’s leadership, recently embarked on the planning process for updating the school’s next five-year Strategic Plan, which will cover 2020 – 2025.  Please click here for an overview of our planning process timeline.  The planning process for the 2020 – 2025 Strategic Plan will culminate with a final draft of the plan slated for presentation to and approval by the Drew Board during the summer of 2020.

The participation and feedback from our stakeholders, including our board, staff, parents, students and partners, will be especially critical to informing our process and the creation of a revised, high-impact plan. 

Equally so, in keeping with the board of director’s and school leadership’s collective commitment to equity, it is crucial that strategic plan updates reflect and are aligned with our equity focus.  To ensure that the planning process and the plan developed reflect our commitment to equity, Drew will collaborate with an external equity thought-partner, who brings significant knowledge and expertise in equity, diversity and inclusion, to support us in development of our updated strategic plan.

I am highly optimistic about how our school can ultimately benefit from a diversity of stakeholder perspectives as we reshape and fine-tune our strategic direction that will guide us to 2025.   

Stakeholder input opportunities in our data gathering process will be central to obtaining these broad-based perspectives.  Shortly after the holiday break, Drew will conduct a survey and soon thereafter will hold focus groups with key stakeholder bases.  Please stay tuned for announcements in early January on the release of the Strategic Plan Survey as well as an invitation to participate in Strategic Planning Focus Groups. 

Additionally, in the spring, as our planning process transitions to the plan development phase, the school will host Draft Strategic Plan Listening Sessions for the Drew Community.  I invite you to stay tuned for more information about these sessions, which will serve as another feedback avenue. 

I greatly encourage and anticipate your participation in these sharing opportunities once they are announced.  As we map out the strategic direction of our school for the next five years and beyond, your participation in this process will be invaluable.  Thank you in advance for your meaningful thoughts and perspectives.  In the end, Drew and its students are destined to benefit from what you bring to the table.

I hope your family’s holiday was filled with peace and joy!  We will be in touch in the near future as our Strategic Plan planning process ensues.

Peter McKnight

Drew Charter School

Head of School